Thursday, June 30, 2005 | 11:07 a.m.
Henderson's next chief of police will be a Southern Californian.
Henderson City Manager Phil Speight has narrowed the field to two police chiefs in Los Angeles County. His final choice is expected to be announced next week after background checks are conducted on the two finalists. They are:
There were four finalists. Stavros Anthony, 48, a Metro Police captain and member of the state higher education system's Board of Regents, did not make the final cut. After interviews Tuesday with Speight, Anthony was eliminated along with John W. Harris, the chief of police of Evanston, Wyo.
Anthony said he was disappointed but said he was sure Henderson officials would make the right decision.
Assistant City Manager Mark Calhoun said Kerstein and Herren are "two excellent candidates."
"These two were more outstanding than the others," Calhoun said.
Speight had been expected to narrow the field to one to conduct a background check before offering him the job. Calhoun said selecting two finalists shows that the candidates are very close and difficult to separate and the background checks will help determine the selection.
Aimee Cella, a senior analyst for the city's Human Resources Department, said the background check will include a search of criminal, employment and credit history. The city will also be calling references.
"It is that close," Calhoun said. "We are very impressed with them. They are on equal footing right now. It will be difficult once we get the background check done."
Calhoun said the City Council was notified about the two finalists, but council members haven't met any of the candidates. The council can ratify or reject Speight's selection.
Henderson Police Officers Association President Cliff Robotham said he suspects Speight has already made up his mind. He said there may be two finalists to provide insurance in case something negative surfaces during the background check.
Robotham declined to say which candidate union leaders support, but said they support one candidate over the other because of experience and personality. He said he has no idea whom Speight will select.
"We are not saying anything because whoever they select we have to work with," Robotham said.
His comments about favoring a candidate with more experience appears to single out Kerstein, a former officer of 31 years with the Los Angeles Police Department who rose to the rank of commander, where he oversaw police operations on the city's west side. He oversaw 1,500 officers, detectives and civilians.
Kerstein, who is single and lives in Marina del Rey, served as chief for West Valley City, Utah, the state's second largest city, from January through June 2002, which encompassed the time that the Winter Olympics took place in the Salt Lake City region, which includes West Valley City.
The Los Angeles School Police Department is the largest independent school district in the country with 335 officers and more than 175 civilian staff covering 950 schools and other property. The budget is $38.4 million.
Kerstein was on vacation and couldn't be reached for comment.
Kerstein was a finalist for the chief's job in Reno before pulling out in January. The Associated Press ran a story saying he pulled out because he thought he could buy additional years in the California Public Employees Retirement System, but later learned he could not. He said he would have to forfeit more than two years of contributions, which he considered unacceptable.
Lt. Tim Anderson, who works with Kerstein for the Los Angeles Unified School Police Department, said the chief was a welcome addition to the department that lacked good and strong leadership.
"What Henderson would be getting is a dynamic individual who is strong in leadership and a person who is innovative and has a good sense of humor," Anderson said. "He is good with people and has an open door policy."
Herren said he knows Kerstein and described him as competent and professional.
Herren, who was born in San Pedro, Calif., has spent his entire career rising through the ranks in Torrance, which today has a population of 145,000. He oversees 250 officers and a budget of $51.5 million, similar to Henderson's budget and staffing levels.
Herren, who recently re-married and has three children, served as president of the Los Angeles County Police Chief's Association in 2004.
Herren said he's honored to be a finalist for the Henderson job and would accept it if offered.
"I am interested in taking it," Herren said. "I'm the right fit for Henderson."
Herren called the Henderson job intriguing because of the city's continuing growth and because it would give him an opportunity to lead a progressive police agency with a good reputation. He said if he is selected one of his top priorities would be the development of a strategic plan to deal with an expected doubling of officers in a short period. He said he has that experience because his department had a large number of officers retire.
Herren earns more than $170,000 a year, which means he would have to take a pay cut for the Henderson job that pays up to $146,819.
Herren said any reduction in pay is offset by no state income tax and a lower cost of living in Henderson. He also said he's eligible to retire in California and would receive 90 percent of his current pay in retirement benefits.
Herren said he couldn't collect retirement if he worked for another department in California, and paying into the retirement system won't net him any more benefits. He said he's not ready to retire anyway.
"I have too much energy," Herren said.
Torrance Mayor Dan Walker said Herren has been a great chief for the city, and he would hate to lose him to Henderson.
"He is a police officer's police officer," Walker said. "He has done a great job and is well respected by the department and community."
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